Restoration
by jejune stars
Summary: Post Manga.   General Mustang and his team are faced with the murders of Ishvalans by radicals opposing the Restoration of Ishval Campaign. Spoilers.
1. Destruction

**This story's name was originally Reconstruction, but I found another fan fiction (which is pretty fantastic, by the way) that involved characters that I play with in this story a lot Riza, Roy, and Scar, so i decided to change it to what it was originally going to be called 'Restoration.'**

**There are canon pairings in this story like Royai and Edwin, but there also some made up ones too.  
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**Warnings: Anyway, this story has gore in it, and I just wanted to warn everyone beforehand especially if that's something you don't like. There may also be curse words. Anything else that may need a warning will be mentioned in the author's not of the chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Riza's eyelids fluttered open and she immediately rose out of bed. Throughout the night, apprehension swirled in her belly, her skin prickled, and she tossed and turned in her bed, tangling the sheets between her bare legs. Despite being plagued with nightmares, she hadn't always slept this terribly and this particular night she hardly slept at all. She zoned in and out of consciousness before she realized it was time to head to work.<p>

Hot water sprinkled from the shower head, the streams and droplets of water traced her body, flowing like rivers through mountains and canyons. After her much too short shower, she rubbed her tired eyes and shrugged on her itchy, blue uniform, which was adorned with three golden stripes and stars on her epaulets, after the courageous acts on the Promise Day she had been promoted to a Captain.

Chai tea with milk and cinnamon kept her heavy eyelids from closing shut. She savored the sweet liquid in her mouth before swallowing. She sighed. Since moving to Ishval, her sleeping pattern had become erratic, the memories of the awful war continued to torment her, and living in the desert was a constant reminder of the blood that had once stained the sand. Because the Restoration Campaign was in it's infancy, Riza lived in the barracks, only ranks of Colonel or higher had their own house since Ishval was a work in progress and housing for lower ranking soldiers had not been completed yet. Luckily though, because of her rank, she lived in private living quarters, though the walls weren't very thick or well insulated and the other people living in the building were loud, possibly another reason for her terrible sleep.

Lost in thought, she hardly noticed the soft pawing at her legs and the whimpering of her black and white dog at her feet. Her eyes widened when she noticed a chewed and destroyed hair clip in the dog's mouth, she groaned. "Bad dog!" she raised her voice, pointing her finger at Hayate, who whined and dipped his tail between his legs. She ran her hand in her damp, loose hair and sighed before grabbing the hair clip and making a disgusted face when she picked up the slobbered, chewed up plastic. Her only option was to wear her hair loose, though it wasn't favorable. She made the disaster prone dog perform simple commands before feeding him and heading off to work.

Not to her surprise, she was the first to arrive at the office in the newly constructed Ishval Headquarters. No one was expected to arrive for another half hour. The Restoration Campaign had begun months ago, the rest of Mustang's former unit, (excluding Falman who was still stationed in Briggs), Lieutenant Rebecca Catalina, others allies of Mustang, Major Miles, and Scar, as well as hundreds of other soldiers, were now stationed in Ishval.

Just as Riza had finished distributing documents on Roy's desk, the doors of the office opened and Fuery walked in, fixing the crooked glasses on his face.

"Good morning, Warrant Officer Fuery" she greeted the younger soldier, before taking a seat and reading through her own assigned documents.

"Good morning, Captain Hawkeye!" he cheerfully exclaimed, and as much as Hawkeye was fond of him she wasn't exactly as cheerful as he was this morning. He stared at her for a moment, a little concerned by the apparent bags under her eyes and surprised by her loose blond locks. Hawkeye had often been the epitome of a perfect soldier, but it was clear to Fuery and the others, that she became somewhat despondent since their transfer to Ishval, and hers and Mustang's eyes, had taken on a haunted look. "Are you feeling alright this morning, Captain?"

The other men and Lieutenant Rebecca Catalina shuffled in the office, all minutes away from being late. Rebecca and Havoc were bickering about something and Breda rolled his eyes at them. After being cured with the philosopher's stone, Havoc quickly recovered and was able to return work after his temporary paralysis, he and everyone in the unit was promoted for their acts during the Promise Day.

Riza glanced up at Fuery and gave him a small smile, "I'm fine Sergeant," she nodded grateful of his concern.

The five soldiers worked diligently before Mustang walked in the office with his haunted eyes and an expression of irritation. Hawkeye scanned her superior, noticing he must have also not slept, "General?"

"Captain, we are needed for an unexpected meeting in the conference room" he spun on his heel toward the hall and Riza followed after him. He was quiet on the walk to the room, his shoulders were stiff, fists clenched at his sides, and his movement was irregular.

"Is everything alright, sir?" she questioned in a concerned and smooth voice. She was worried since he had been uneasy since walking into the office. She knew him well enough and much like her he hadn't slept at all the night before.

"Yes, Captain." he responded, his posture and tone obviously betraying his answer. She didn't inquire further; Ishval Headquarters was not a place to talk about their nightmares and concerns, they both needed comforting but this wasn't the place to do it. She reached for his hand, which was two steps in front of her, and squeezed his in her smaller one, a gesture of comfort. She wasn't sure what caused that sudden act, but instincts told her he needed it. He half turned towards her and gave a weak smile, his face was placid but his dark eyes were etched with distress. By the number of wrinkles formed under his eyes, she could count the days he hadn't slept.* _His eyes_…she swallowed what felt like a lump in her throat, when she remembered his once blind state, and part of her wanted to reach out to him more.

**-i-**

Mustang joined the others at the large conference table, Riza stood behind him, analyzing the room. Seated was Major Miles, two Ishvalan priests, Scar, who now went by Brother, as well as Generals and other soldiers from other regions. Except for General Armstrong couldn't make it due to a quarrel with Drachma and General Lieutenant General Doyle of the East (who usually let Roy take his place in any meeting that involved Ishval).

"Good morning," Mustang greeted all of the visiting military personnel "As you are all aware, there have been conflicts throughout the nation regarding the Restoration Campaign. Unfortunately, radicals who are against reforming Ishval are taking a drastic approach to the situation. Major Miles if you will…" Mustang signaled Major Miles to speak.

"Yes, General," Major Miles walked around the room, he wasn't wearing his sunglasses so his red eyes visible. He tilted his head in the direction of bald and blind old Ishvalan, who had a white beard, and was dressed in a colorful, silk robe, "Priest Aatu, who is a valuable traveling informant in this Campaign has told us about the murders of many Ishvalan refugees around the nation"

Scar, or Brother rather, was sickened by the news albeit he already heard it first hand from the traveling Priest; it didn't help when he observed the visiting military personnel, all of which seemed uninterested in the awful news. Brother's gaze trailed to General Mustang and Captain Hawkeye who although appeared calm, their eyes showed they were disturbed. He knew he would never forgive the two soldiers for all the lives of his people they stole during the war, but he endured and trusted them. At that moment Hawkeye's earthy eyes locked with Scar's red eyes, they both stared at each other, understanding what the other was thinking about the situation. Now being the Grand Cleric, the spiritual leader and prophet of the Ishvalan religion, Scar is the one to oversee everything General Mustang plans for Ishval before anything is finalized and he has become a valuable ally of Mustang's.

Mustang stood up, taking over the meeting again, "We cannot have these radicals instill fear of Ishvalans into the rest of Amestris. I propose we work together to put a stop to their defiance," he scanned the faces around the room, Hawkeye gave him a small smile (which to anyone else may have gone unnoticed) to show her support. Others in the room nodded but the Generals and their right hands were disgruntled.

Major General Dawson spoke first, "General Mustang, I understand you're in charge of liberating the Ishvalans, but I assure you that I do not need your help with capturing the radicals in my region" he vehemently expressed. Miles and Scar cast a repulsed glare at the General, he was speaking about their people as if they were prisoners or slaves. Dawson was a Brigadier General of the West region before being promoted to Major General after the one who originally had the position was incarcerated for his participation in Father's plan for an immortal army. He, like Hakuro, weren't fond of Mustang because of his fast rise in the military; they were even more enraged when he was promoted to a Major General, skipping two ranks from a Colonel.

"I will have to agree with Major General Dawson," the gray-haired General Ivers jibed

"If we work together we have a better chance at capturing these outlaws," Roy stated coolly, remaining firm on his position.

"Actually," Dawson sneered, "anything that involves the Ishvalan people really is your territory, General" Mustang examined the man, in disbelief of his attitude towards the situation.

"While you have a few thousand Ishvalans to handle, the Major Generals and I have to deal with hundreds of thousands of people in our regions. I'm not sure if this is our area specifically, but we will do what we can to assist in the arrest of the radicals" Hakuro interjected

Scar gaped, was indifference over Ishvalan deaths still this prevalent? He didn't say anything, politics wasn't his strong suit, and instead he let the officers' duke out their dilemma.

Roy was vexed with the Generals for not being cooperative. It was no secret that the men didn't respect him, and it was clear that they disliked him also. Just as Mustang was about to speak, Miles, who was displeased with the exchange cut him off, "With all due respect, Generals, this is not just about prejudices against the Ishvalan people, this is about the unnecessary murders that have occurred in the nation" Miles folded his arms behind his back "Surely, there is more you can do than just assist," his voice was firm and his red eyes bore into the men.

The Generals and their right hands had much more respect for Major Miles, and decided to cooperate, but after hours of trying to scheme the arrest of the unknown radicals, the group decided to take a break for lunch, the meeting would continue after their meals.

**-i-i-**

Hawkeye and Mustang returned to office, it was apparent to their subordinates they were both irritated. They went to Roy's separate office in the room and shut the door. Roy sunk in his black chair and studied her while she brought coffee and food to his desk, "Have you been sleeping at all?" he was concerned, finally looking at her long enough to notice the dark circles around her eyes.

"Have you?" she countered, trying to avert the subject from her to him, she was more concerned with his lack of sleep.

He chuckled, "I can't say that I've been sleeping much," he leaned back in the chair, then slapped his hand over his face and groaned.

Her attention was removed from her lunch, "Sir?"

"Captain, tell me why again I'm doing this?" he gazed at her with his anguish carved face. It's been a reoccurring question since they moved to Ishval months ago, where he is constantly doubting his ability to repair the culture he had helped almost destroy.

She gave him a sad smile, and stared at his fists, which were squeezed together on the desk, slightly trembling, "Because it's the right thing to do. We took the lives away from all those people against their will. What we do here may not be enough, but it's the least we can do," he stopped trembling and he released his fists, he looked up her, a ghost of smile on his face.

His un-gloved hand fingered the tips of her loose golden tresses, Riza quirked and eyebrow, "You're not wearing you hair clip…" he smirked

The image of her destroyed, slobbered hair clip appeared in her mind and she chucked, "Yes, it seems I have to teach Hayate the difference between my things and his toys again"

"I can't blame him for wanting your hair down, Captain, not that I don't like the hair clip, but this is a nice change" he grinned, now running his hand through her blonde hair. She closed her eyes as his hand combed through her hair. Surely they got closer after the events of the Promise day, but seldom did they ever let themselves engage in situations like this.

Riza pulled away, "Sir, we should probably eat, the meeting will start shortly," she stammered, though she wasn't sure why, it wasn't the first time they've had moments like this.

"Ah, you're right. I'm sorry, Captain…"

**-i-i-i-**

The meeting resumed an hour and a half later. Everyone met back in the conference room. Roy hoped they could come to an agreement, so he could go home or get back to work that didn't involve them, at least.

Plans to devise a strategy to lure the radicals from hiding only ended up in disagreement. Dawson was being much more argumentative towards Roy about the situation than anyone else. It was evident that the man really hated Mustang. He was much older than Hakuro, and thought Roy was too young and naive for his position.

After hours of squabbling the group came to a silence, everyone pondering a way to assess the situation. Roy turned to Riza who was still standing in her place behind him. Knowing her for as long as he did, he had never seen her this fatigued, maybe during the war, but he didn't think he'd see her in this state again, he frowned; she definitely needed rest. "Captain, have Havoc relieve you from your position and go home for the night."

Riza was a little angry; she didn't want to go home, especially after seeing the way the generals spoke to Roy condescendingly, but, She didn't argue, it would have looked bad in front of her superiors if she objected to anything her direct superior ordered. She nodded and saluted him and the other men before leaving.

Ivers smirked, inappropriately eying her as she walked passed him. Once she was out of sight old General spoke, "Now, I see why you keep her around, General Mustang. I wouldn't mind having her as my Captain."

The urge to punch a man never felt stronger than it did at that moment, of course she was pretty, but did he really stop her short of her other remarkable abilities. "Captain Hawkeye is a very capable soldier, sir"

The older man grunted, "I never said she wasn't, General."

**-i-v-**

Riza trod along the sandy trail to the barracks, her mind kept trailing back to Roy. She opened the door to a whimpering Hayate, she knelt down to pat his head, "I'm sorry. Work went on longer than I expected." She took the dog out for a walk before returning to her third floor apartment.

She slipped out of her jacket and kicked her boots off before making some hot tea. Another downside of the transfer was, unlike Central, there was really nothing to do in Ishval, except read or occasionally visit the bars. She absent mindlessly traced the lip of her ceramic mug before gulping down the rest of liquid.

Just as she was walking to her bedroom, she heard a thunderous explosion and the ground began to shake, Hayate's bark warned her something was terribly wrong. Riza sprinted towards her window to see what the commotion was, the setting sun was almost hidden by thick black smoke. Wails and shrieks echoed throughout the building from other soldiers who lived in the same facility. She sprinted towards the door, but in and instant the floor beneath her crumpled, the roof coming down with it.

**-v-**

The vibration of the explosion went throughout the large base. Everyone in the meeting grabbed tightly to the large table. Once the rumbling stopped, the soldiers looked at each other with wide questioning eyes. No words seemed to form in anyone's mouth. They were in complete shock and were a bit frightened, when they heard screams throughout the base that were audible in the room.

"What was that?" Major General Ivers cried out

"It sounded like an explosion" one Lieutenant blurted out nervously

Fuery and Breda ran into the large conference room, "Major General Mustang!" the dark haired, bespectacled soldier frantically called out, trying to catch his breath from running across the large building "There was a large blast in the South sector, two buildings collapsed and the other three surrounding buildings sustained major damage!" everyone in the room gasped. The South sector contained living facilities for soldiers, as well as, accommodations for visiting soldiers.

"Our families are there!" some visiting soldiers cried out in unison. Many of the visiting military personnel had brought their families with them on their trip to Ishval.

"Lieutenant Breda, get information from any witnesses and have Lieutenant Catalina send rescue workers to the scene. There may be people in serious need of aid." The pudgy red-head saluted and ran out, Mustang looked at the younger dark-haired soldier, "Fuery, I'll need you to contact Central Headquarters, inform Fuhrer Grumman!"

Hakuro stood up and slammed his fists on the table, and heatedly glared at Fuery "_Damn it! _What's the situation over there, soldier? My wife and children are at the quarters!"

Fuery panicked under his frustrated superior's gaze, as well as the other soldiers who were also worried about their family, "The soldier accomodatons were heavily damaged, Sir, but it appears that only barrack one and two collapsed"

Roy's eyes widened at the realization, Riza lived in building one, "T-The Captain!" He stuttered and eyed the door; he panicked when he remembered he sent her home an hour ago. "Major Miles, take control of the situation here!" he commanded to his underling. He felt the feeling of his heart dropping to the pit of his stomach. Roy scampered towards the door, Lieutenant Charlie Moreau, a supporter of Mustang who fought under his command in the Ishvalan war, grabbed his arm, "Sir, it's too dangerous for you to go out there right now!"

"Get the _fuck _off me!" he ripped his arm out of his subordinate's grasp glaring daggers at the man and he raced out of the room.

Dawson huffed, "_Tch_. And that man is in command here? Ridiculous." He scoffed, "Risking his own life for one damn soldier!" he criticized

Scar finally spoke, after being extremely quiet for the entire meeting, "He'll always go out of his way to protect any of his subordinates, especially that woman" he declared, as much as he didn't agree with their actions in the past, he admired Mustang's loyalty to his subordinates.

Unfortunately, criticism of Roy's flee to the scene began, perhaps out of hatred but also panic and worry over the safety of their own loved ones.

Major Miles took control of the situation, "Enough! A possible act of terrorism just occurred, this is not the situation turn against your comrade!"

**-v-i-**

**A/N: **Lieutenant Charlie Moreau is an actual character in FMA, he's the guy with the lightning bolts in his hair, the only thing I made up about him was his rank and lest name, but his name is Charlie!

_*By the number of wrinkles formed under his eyes, she could count the days he hadn't slept.*_ I didn't mean that literally, I hope that was clear!

I'm not sure if I will continue with this. I was more leaning towards letting the reader interpret what happens. Review and let me know if I should or shouldn't.

I do not own FMA.

7-18-11

I made some minor revisions.


	2. Convergence

**A/N: I still haven't decided if I should hange this from rated T to M because this chapter is a little graphic, and I'm sure future ones may be, as well.**

**There is a part that my boyfriend said he thought was a bit gory, so I denoted it with an _xx_, **

**I do not own fullmetal alchemist.**

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><p>Thick, gray smoke whirled from the burning rubble, temporarily stopping Roy and Havoc from rescuing Riza. It was difficult to see through the haze and the murky air irritated Roy's lungs.<p>

Firefighters that had arrived to the site to search for victims were currently containing the fire on the massive burial site, while soldiers assisted in evacuating individuals staying at the soldier accomodations on base. Other soldiers left unaffected by the blast were dispatched to secure the premises and the territory occupied by the Ishvalans.

Havoc violently coughed into his fist. "Geez, I've been smoking since I was a kid and I can't even stand this smoke." He joked, trying to make light of the awful situation.

Roy didn't respond, instead he stared at the scene intently. He watched as families who were temporarily staying in Ishval were escorted in a single file to a separate shelter on base, gasping and weeping when they caught sight of bodies scattered along the ground.

Roy's nostrils took in the all too familiar smell of burnt flesh that lingered in the air. The smell had triggered him to recall images of the war: fire, blood, burning bodies, and the distant cries of the suffering. He cringed while musing on his memories of bloodstained sand and death, and again he found he had been tormented with a similar catastrophe. He fell into a mental pit of agony at the thoughts that were forever chiseled in his brain. He had hoped Ishval would never see another massacre, yet being in a country that had brutally purged people for it's own gratification, he was foolish for thinking so_._

The explosion caused two of the buildings that housed soldiers to collapse, leaving a mess of concrete, shattered glass, and metal. The surrounding buildings, which were further from the scene, had all been heavily damaged, from giant cracks, to shattered windows, and debris was showered along the grounds. The soldier accomodations, a large facility that housed visiting military personnel, wasn't damaged, though people staying in the building were evacuated, so inspection for explosives could be conducted. The soldier accomodations were built on base because Ishvalans were not keen on having their hotels or land accommodate Amestrians, thus accommodations was built on military property.

Once the fire had been contained, Roy and Havoc quietly rummaged through the remains where Riza's quarters should be. Their hands becoming rough and abraded from moving scraps of what was once a building. Thoughts of his most precious subordinate lying dead in a heap of bloody, concrete crept in Roy's mind. The thought made him clench his fists tightly together, his nails digging into his ungloved palms. The Restoration of Ishval was supposed to be just that, not an expansion of the necropolis it already was. Ishval was a graveyard without headstones.

He felt useless, completely and utterly useless.

Havoc nervously gulped, as he reached into a dark crevice where he had cleared rubble. His course hand stroked something furry and he quickly removed the surrounding debris around the _thing_. His eyes widened when he discovered a bloody black and white dog. _Hayate_. He was amazed that the animal was still alive and he thanked whatever deity could be thanked that Hawkeye's furry companion made it. Havoc tore through the concrete, _if Hayate is here…_ After seeing nothing but slate and the occasional crimson, his eyes finally perceived her long primrose yellow tresses.

"Chief!"

Roy rushed at the call of his name, occasionally stumbling over. He felt his face contort when he discerned Hawkeye's limp body uncomfortably stretched across a jagged mound of debris. She was a treasure, buried in her own concrete grave. It was a morbid sight, yet he felt relief seeing her chest rise and fall rhythmically although jaggedly. She was covered in blood, but still warm, still breathing, and unconscious. Havoc had already lifted much of the debris, but the large slab of concrete pinning her legs down was a problem. Roy jumped into a cleared area, shattered glass crunched under his boots. He placed both hands on the large concrete and transmuted it into its original form, water and fine powdered clay and lime.

Once they had pulled Riza to safety, the two men carefully trudged through the wreckage; Roy held Riza's limp form and Havoc carried a whimpering Hayate. Roy glanced around the ruins, noticing the rescue mission for other victims caught in the blast continued. He watched his fatigued comrades zealously hunting for the wounded and painfully hunting for the fallen.

"Havoc, take the Captain. I'm going to stay and help with what I can," he commanded, still surveying the area.

"I can stay here and-" Mustang held his hand up to silence Havoc. The smoker sighed and placed Hayate on the ground before lifting up Hawkeye from Roy's grasp.

"Take her to the infirmary," Roy placed the bloody dog on top of the unconscious woman and shot Havoc an exasperated look, "Quickly!"

"Yes, Sir!" Havoc rushed to headquarters, taking the military issued car they arrived in.

Mustang stepped over the mess around him and approached rescue workers frantically searching through the wreckage, "What's the situation?" he asked while several of the men quickly stood up to salute.

"Sir, only fourteen casualties have been found" one young worker joylessly said. Roy nodded and began helping the men search through the rubble. The rough skin on his hands were continuing to abrade with every object he moved. He couldn't risk transmuting the concrete into dust like he did earlier, the dust could suffocate living victims that were still buried.

_xx_

His eyes recognized a fleshy appendage jammed between debris, a hand. Two soldiers helped him uncover the body, or what was left of it. The color drained from Roy's face, leaving his face pallid and expressionless. No matter how many people he's killed or has seen been killed, he would never get used to seeing dead people he could have saved. Roy struggled with a plethora of "_if only's_" that could have helped him avoid this mess. _If_ _only_ he made the base safer, _if only_ he ensured better protection, _if only_ he had regular inspections, _if_ _only…_ He watched as the workers veiled the corpse with a shroud.

_xx_

He began to search again when a blue steel door caught his eye. Carved into the metal door was a transmutation circle, it was a pentagram, with a crescent moon at the top point of the star and suns in the remaining points, and through the center of the circle was a cross with a serpent wrapped around it. The transmutation was completely foreign to Roy and his eyes widened in realization, a bomb didn't cause the explosion, _alchemy_ did.

He commanded two soldiers nearby to help him take the heavy door back to headquarters; the men looked bewildered by the order but complied.

**010101**

Scar pulled over his tan cloak and smoothed out the sleeves making his exit through the doorway. He and Major Miles were the only individuals remaining in the conference room, the other soldiers and generals had left earlier to reunite with their families. Miles cleared his throat loudly, causing his ally to stop in his tracks.

"Where will you go? Miles questioned.

Scar bore his gaze into Miles, "To stop the culprits before they attack our people." His jaw clenched tightly, "If these soldiers who have weapons can't protect themselves, I'm not sure our people stand a chance."

"You know Priest Aatu and several soldiers have been sent to guard the city. Will you not wait for Mustang to return?" He asked, lacing his fingers behind is back.

Scar uncharacteristically smirked at the question, "I have no reason to wait for him."

Both Ishvalan men walked down the hall of the building, their footsteps echoed in the eerily empty passageway, though the silence was short lived. They stood perplexed at the sight before them, Mustang, who was accompanied by two unfamiliar soldiers, carried a large metal door through the entryway of the building. The raven-haired general regarded his bewildered red-eyed comrades staring quizzically, "Miles, Sc-Brother" he uttered the names loudly, and the men followed him into his office.

The heavy door was set onto his underlings' desks, which were all joined together at the center of the office. Mustang waved the other unfamiliar soldiers off and to his surprise, Breda, Fuery, and Catalina loomed in the office entry.

"General Mustang, Fuhrer Grumman has dispatched soldiers from Eastern Headquarters. Their arrival is due at 0500 hours," Fuery reported from his position in the doorway.

"Thank you, Lieutenant!" Roy wearily exclaimed.

"What's the meaning of this?" Miles queried, directing his vision to the door. Once he tore his gaze from the door he noticed Mustang's untidy appearance. He was covered in grime, his uniform disheveled and splotched with blood, and his hair mussed, black bangs damp from sweat was sticking to his forehead.

"When I first surveyed the site, I thought it was a bomb that caused the explosion, but then I found this," He pointed at the transmutation circle on the door.

Miles gaped and his eyebrows furrowed, "The radicals are using alchemy?"

"We can't blame the radicals just yet, but it seems we do have a Kimblee impersonator. Though the transmutation circles are different and this person seems to be a bit of an amateur," he sneered.

Scar's features became tense at the mention of the man who murdered his family. While he endured those who killed his people during the war, he still held a tenacious hatred for Kimblee. He continued silently staring at the transmutation circle, trying to decipher the unfamiliar symbols.

"That explosion didn't look like the work of an amateur" Miles retorted.

"No, but drawing transmutation circles on a door is," Roy countered. He took a small black book out of his coat pocket and began tracing the transmutation circle, "Kimblee had his transmutation circles on the palms of his hands and could cause explosions from a distance. If this person had to etch this into the door it means he couldn't use his alchemy the same way Kimblee did and-"

"It became a suicide mission?" Miles interrupted, the other soldiers who were listening to the exchange gasped, "But why would they attack the barracks?" Miles questioned as he walked over to the large window overlooking the courtyard of headquarters.

"No," Scar started, "A person who possesses such deadly alchemy wouldn't waste their time, blasting living quarters."

"Then, this was just a warning." Miles added, trying to make sense of the events. "The culprit is still out there," he stated, though it sounded more like a question.

Silence dawned in the room until Scar spoke again.

"The Xing Princess May Chang used her alchemy from a distance. This person must have as well." All attention was now on Scar, "What side of the building was the door located on?" he queried.

"What do you suppose?" Mustang was now the one asking questions. He rested his chin in the nook between his thumb and index finger, pondering several possibilities for the attack. Whatever the reason he would punish them, not only for attacking his soldiers, but they would suffer unimaginable consequences for injuring Riza.

"In order to activate their transmutation circle, they need to see it. Depending on the location of the door, we could find out where they attacked from." Truthfully, Scar didn't care about Amestrians dying. In actuality, part of him still believed they deserved an ill fate for murdering his people. Though he believed if Amestrian soldiers were attacked, his people would be next and he wouldn't let his people suffer again. He would stop the problem himself if he had to.

"The door faces the south on the west side of base." Breda announced.

Roy frowned and placed the book back in his coat pocket, "Miles, I need you to set up a meeting with the generals at 9 AM tomorrow morning. We'll need to report our findings." Roy turned to his other subordinates in the room, "Catalina, check on Captain Hawkeye and relieve Havoc. Fuery and Breda, inspect all buildings accessible to the public. Report if you find any more transmutation circles. I also expect you meet the soldiers arriving at 0500 hours." He finally turned to Scar. The man who had tried to take his life before, it felt bizarre that he had now grown to trust him more than some soldiers in military, "Looks like I'll be joining you."

**010101**

Despite the scorching temperatures of the desert during the afternoon, nightfall was bitterly cold. Roy clenched his overcoat shut with his fist and draped his arm ahead of him, shielding his face from the gust of wind, and the occasionally blinding sand particles assailing his face. Scar trudged in a similar position, the tail of his cloak whiffling behind him. The wind and low temperatures on this particular night had been much worse than most nights, making travel especially difficult. After a few months of reconstructing Ishval, many adequate roads had been built, however, the men found themselves trailing in the sand, as directed by an Ishvalan elderly woman who had seen an unidentified person walk in the direction that split away from inhabited territory.

"This wind is terrible." Roy complained, becoming more aggravated as the wind picked up. "First we deal with immortal monsters and now some deranged alchemists detonating buildings…" He grumbled loudly, though he received no response. He admitted he was sharing a lot more of his thoughts with Brother, than he ever wanted to, but he was accustomed to venting out loud with Hawkeye at his side. His mind returned to his injured Captain, he couldn't face her without finding the person who injured her. He felt guilty that she was harmed, if he had let her stay at work a brief moment longer, she would still be walking alongside him.

Scar tried to disregard the Flame Alchemists irritating complaints, but the man did not restrain his rambling. Brother certainly did not need Mustang's help, he could surely take on any alchemist on his own, and more than likely the man alongside him would only get in his way. Scar needed to find a way to get the Flame Alchemist leave him behind.

"Mustang," Scar said aloud, "I can't tell you what to do, but your people may be attacked again in your absence."

Roy began to slow down, but still trying keep pace with the man a few meters in ahead of him. It was true that he'd been so caught up in punishing the culprits for the attack earlier, that he didn't think about the possibility of another one. "I-"

Scar interrupted him, "I can take care of this. Protect your people."

Roy wanted to argue. Scar shouldn't tell what to do, _he_ was a general after all. As much as he hated to admit it, Brother was right.

Roy stopped walking.

"Right… I'll leave this to you then."

Scar also halted and the men stared at each other for a few moments, the wind blowing more rapidly now, their faces were pelted with the small granular particles of the desert. The gaze ended as Scar turned back to his path and continued to head in the direction they were directed to.

**010101**

Roy was relieved to see the base was unscathed when he returned, and he immediately made a trip to the infirmary. Stopping by the front desk, he used his charming smile to coax the nurse to direct him to Riza's room. He continued down the long hall, the dim light flickering above his head. He knew he arrived at the right place when he found the tall blond smoker, standing guard in the hall.

"Chief!" Havoc saluted, taken aback by his superior's bedraggled appearance. "Rebecca is helping Hawkeye bathe before she relieves me," he perversely grinned. He braced himself for a scolding by his superior, expecting he would not be too happy about the insinuation when he mentioned Hawkeye be bathed by Rebecca. To his surprise, Roy's dark countenance hadn't changed. Under the poor lightning the dark circles around his eyes were much more prominent.

"Is she alright?" he queried, trying to sound indifferent but the anxiety in his voice didn't go unnoticed. Havoc grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck, he didn't enjoy being bearer of bad news.

Both men hadn't noticed the footsteps that came around the corner.

From his clipboard, Dr. Marcoh read aloud, "I removed shards of sharp concrete and glass embedded in her arms. Her tibia and fibula in both legs were fractured in several places. She also suffered a minor concussion. She'll be off of active duty for 9-12 weeks." Unfortunately, the philosopher's stone couldn't be used to heal her legs since it was completely consumed to restore Mustang's vision and Havoc's ability to walk.

The older man smiled at Roy, but immediately frowned when he noticed Roy's somber expression. "She was really lucky, you know"

Averting his eyes to the small window on the door, he mouthed 'I know.' Through the small window he stared at the silhouette of Riza and Rebecca behind a curtain in the room. "You should probably get some sleep, General Mustang. You won't do your Captain any good looking like that," he pulled a small bottle of pills from the pocket of his white coat, and handed it to Roy, "These should help you with your sleep."

"Thank you," his obsidian eyes stared at the capsules in the clear bottle.

Marcoh smiled, it was obvious to him that Roy had been lacking sleep. He wasn't unfamiliar with the notion of being haunted by the ghosts of Ishval. Though he didn't serve in the war, he was equally as guilty for taking the lives of numerous Ishvalan people.

Rebecca walked out momentarily after, she flinched when she saw Roy, but gave him a warm smile. Roy walked in Riza's small hospital room, the bland white walls were overbearing. He made a mental note to have the hospital rooms repainted when they weren't in this dire situation.

Riza was seated in a gurney, gauze wrapped around her arms and forehead. She wearily scrutinized him, "Sir, are you alright?" she asked, somewhat gargling her words, disoriented from the medication. She didn't attempt to stow away her worry and continued to cast her gaze on Roy as he flopped into the chair next to her.

Typical, he thought, even at her worst, she always put him before herself. "How are you feeling?" he asked, changing the direction of the conversation away from him. He knew that she wouldn't fall for it, but he didn't want to talk about himself and hoped she wouldn't press on. His eyes traced along her small form, perched on the gurney. He felt a pang of guilt and contrition, when his gaze wandered over her legs, concealed by thin linen sheets, he remembered their temporarily crippled state.

He quickly turned to her face, hoping she didn't notice his wandering eyes. To his dismay she was also staring at the thin fabric rumpled over her legs dejectedly. He felt his throat dry up. In the many years he had known Riza, it was rare to see her in such a pitiful state.

"I'm sorry." She uttered, her expression quickly reverting to it's usual calm demeanor. It was futile, they both knew she was trying to hide her woe.

He felt angry at the two simple words and wondered how even after being medicated and temporary paralyzed she could easily put her duty over her own well being.

"Don't." He snapped, more forcefully than he intended. "There's no reason to be."

"Sir, If I-" Her voice quivered, and her eyes moistened from tears she withheld, "How am I going to protect you like this?" She gripped the sheets in her fists, frustrated with her pathetic state. She wasn't sure if it the medication was or the swirl of emotions she couldn't contain that was at fault for making her so straightforward.

"Captain," he spoke soothingly, "It's only temporarily." He untangled her grasp from the sheets and their eyes met for the first time since he walked in the room. "I'll be extra cautious," there was a hint of humor in his speech, "I'd be stupid to put myself in a dangerous situation without my excellent bodyguard to protect me from my own stupidity and machismo." He laughed, relieved when a small smile appeared on her face.

"You're right. You would be stupid to put yourself in danger." She stated in a serious manner, though a ghost of a smile adorned her face.

Roy exaggeratingly gasped and feigned offense at her remark, "Captain, I would never!"

She eased back, leaning onto the wall the bed was against. She stared at the bright lights on the ceiling. Though she was still worried about Roy, she found herself at much more ease than she had when she awoke from her unconscious state. Roy had a knack for comforting her, even in her most vulnerable state. She held back a laugh when she saw him slumped in the chair asleep shortly after their talk. She peeled the sheets from her body and with her sharp aim, successfully draped it over him albeit it was uneven and drooping on one side.

Dr. Marcoh had instructed her to stay conscious for a few hours to avoid falling into a coma from her concussion. She picked up the book Rebecca had brought her and read the title embossed on the hardcover of the book, '_An Unfortunate Seduction._' Her friend had a strange preference in books. She was hesitant, but flipped through the book's crisp pages anyway.

Riza flinched when she heard a snore from the chair next to her, but couldn't help but smile. Roy was still in a heavy slumber.

**010101**

It had been miles since Scar had seen any type of civilization after he departed to pursuit the culprits. He was beginning to wonder if the elder Ishvalan had sent him in the right direction since he was the only living entity for miles. His doubts of his directions were confirmed when in the distance he spotted an unfamiliar shelter. A dim light shone through the windows of the small shack. Interesting, he thought, he'd never seen that before.

He was cautious of his surroundings, almost crawling on the ground to avoid unwanted attention. He softly padded to the shack going unnoticed. What appeared to be a shack in the distance was actually the size of a small home.

He was sure he could take on any enemy that challenged him, but he couldn't make a foolish mistake by barging into the shelter.

His chance came when the front door of the small house squeaked open. He peered around the corner to see a man smoking, mindlessly kicking the sand he stood on. Brother slowly crept behind him and clapped his large hand over the man's face, successfully restraining him in place. The man squirmed in his grasp and even resorted to kicking to no avail. Scar splayed his fingers over the man's face and using his powerful alchemy he wounded the man enough to put him into shock. The man slumped to the ground. He was successful. He couldn't kill the enemy yet he still needed information.

He slipped through the opened door quietly. The small house was in poor condition, the curtains were tattered, books were strewn across the floor, and the floorboards creaked beneath his steps. From another room he heard faint music. He followed the sound and found a phonograph playing music on an escritoire and a man slumped over in a chair asleep.

Scar pushed the man on the ground and he immediately woke up.

"Please don't kill me, I–I-I can help you!" the man cried on the ground, flailing his arms.

"Who are you?" Scar spoke indifferently. The man let Scar tie him with a rope he found nearby. He knew the man didn't cause the explosion, he was too brainless and panicky.

"I can't tell you!" The man shouted, only irritating the Ishvalan that was restraining him.

"Who caused the explosion?" Scar asked, and the man shrunk in his intense glare.

"I'll only tell you, if you promise you won't kill me!"

Scar nodded and the man eased.

"Everyone here is in great danger! There's this really horrible group that are revolting against the military. Their ringleader is-"

A loud bang thundered in the room and warm blood splattered on Scar's face.

* * *

><p>AN: I wasn't going to continue with this but there were many people who really enjoyed the first part of this and wanted me to continue, so I will. Thank you to everyone who commented, it was very much appreciated.

If there is anything I should correct or you felt anyone was out of character don't be afraid to let me know.

Feedback is very much appreciated!


	3. Change of Plans

Winry fumbled with the dial of the radio, trying to find a station that didn't drown out the news in a sea of static. Earlier, she overheard women at the market chattering about an attack on Ishval that occurred yesterday afternoon. Worried about her friends in the military, she needed to know about the situation in Ishval. If there was anything she learned from her parents, it was during dire times like this, an automail mechanic and doctor is greatly needed.

She finally picked up a clear station,_ "Thirty-six casualties were fatally injured along with 116 injured by the blast on the Ishvalan base yesterday afternoon. It has been reported that this is the third attack on military soldiers and civilians this past year. Major General Mustang has immediately taken action in securing the base and searching for the perpetrators..."_

Focused on the news report, Winry hardly noticed Den barking outside. Instead she stared at the radio, unconsciously rubbing her arms as if she were cold. She thought about calling Riza, she always had a special connection with the older woman and surely, she would tell Winry what was going on.

Pinako stared at her granddaughter before finally speaking, "I'll go see who it is," she sighed, exhaling the smoke from her wrinkled mouth.

When the old woman's small steps padded back into the house, heavier footsteps mirrored hers, she was not alone.

"Winry?" a familiar voice called out from behind her. She _knew_ that voice, a large grin adorned her face, already making her cheeks sore from smiling so much.

"Ed!" she squealed, swinging her arms around him. The former alchemist had been on a journey for months to countries surrounding Amestris. As much as it pained Winry to be away from her beloved, it was known that Ed spent his entire life traveling. But to her surprise, he returned months earlier than he said he would in his last letter.

The couple pulled away for a brief moment to share a kiss. The sensation was invigorating and Winry wondered how she lived an entire year without kissing his soft lips. Between kisses the two exchanged words of longing.

"You're...back...early," she spoke softly, her words separated by hungry kisses.

"I Am." he cooed, unconsciously playing with the engagement ring on her left hand. He gazed into her large blue eyes, appreciating _his_ beautiful fiance, the words felt delectable rolling off his tongue. Seeing her again made Ed felt guilty for leaving her behind, though bringing her along wasn't practical with her growing business. He nestled his face in her golden locks, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair contrasted by the bitter smell of automail oil. He couldn't figure out how he survived without her for what seemed to be an eternity.

He looked taller than she remembered, and it amazed her how much he had grown since he was a little boy. She was delighted she got to experience the transition. She cupped her hand around his cheek, brushing her thumb softly across his bottom lip, "I've missed you," she whispered, before she firmly pressed another kiss against his mouth. When she finally broke away from his tight grasp, she slapped his arm, "You idiot!" she exclaimed, her eyebrows furrowing.

"What was that for?" he whined, rubbing his arm as if the slap really hurt.

"For not telling me you were coming home early, I could have at least prepared breakfast for you," she frowned.

"It's fine, I'll prepare something." He stretched his arms over his head and yawned. "Besides, if I told you it wouldn't have been a very good surprise," he grinned. Their reunions were always worth coming home for. Time without seeing each other made him appreciate her even more than he already did. He made sure he would bring her along on his next journey.

"I guess I can't argue with that," she smirked.

Winry sat at the kitchen table as Ed prepared a meal for himself. "I was worried when you didn't out to greet me," he stated, "It was a little frightening to see Granny when I expected to see you," he evilly laughed, hoping the old woman didn't hear him.

"I'm sorry," she replied, "I was trying to pick up the broadcast about Ishval."

"Ishval? Why?" Ed questioned, a little hesitant about asking. He knew Winry coped with her parents death, but he usually refrained from talking about Ishval, it was a topic almost as serious as human transmutation. Ed felt senseless for asking, but as much as he hated to admit it, he was worried about Mustang and his other friends stationed in the Ishvalan desert. Even though he and the Flame Alchemist constantly bickered, they deeply cared for one another, no matter how much Ed denied it.

"There was a bombing...a lot of soldiers died," she responded grimly.

Ed's eyes widened, "I need to call Mustang." He frantically walked over to the phone and lifted it from it's cradle.

"W-what? Why?" Winry stammered, worried by Ed's uneasiness.

He stared at the phone clutched in his hand, "Winry," he spoke softly, the tone was almost foreign to her. He spoke in that tone when he was truly worried about something. She remembered the time she tried avenge her parents, the gun shook in her hands and hot tears rolled down her face. With that tone, he convinced her not to pull the trigger and saved her from being a murderer, her parents wouldn't want her to take someone's life even for their sake. That well-known tone was sweet and gentle, yet it was a reminder of how she almost stained her hands with blood. She felt a jolt of fear at the thought.

"I came home early is because it's not safe out there," He felt guilty for not telling her earlier, but he was captivated by their sweet and intoxicating reunion. "It's a war zone outside of Amestris, Winry. I went to Creta, Aerugo, and Xing and it's was all the same. It was only time that it came here... I don't know who's behind it but I had to make sure you were safe and I had to tell Mustang before it got here, but it looks like I'm too late." He wore an expression of regret, feeling like he failed everyone for not coming sooner.

"How do you know they're related?" she queried, her tone laced with fear and concern.

"They were all explosions, but based on the nature of the blasts, there's no way they were caused by regular bombs."

"So...you think it was alchemy?"

He started dialing the number of Mustang's office in Ishval, "I'm almost sure of it," he replied. He turned around to face his fiance as the phone rang, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I was just-" he started, but she silenced him with a kiss. He didn't need to tell her, she already understood. Winry was the only person who could make him not feel useless.

Ed stared at her adoringly as she pulled away, he was happy he returned, he could travel all over the world but there was nothing like being home.

**-i-**

After leaving the infirmary and taking a well-deserved shower, Roy arrived to work earlier than usual. He waited in his office for Fuery and Breda to return with the soldiers dispatched from Eastern Command. He sat slumped in his chair, balancing a pen between his fingers, and feeling a pang of guilt every time he thought about Riza. He knew she capable of protecting him, but this time he felt like the protector. The object twisted between his rough fingers, hypnotizing him deep into his thoughts.

Healing his eyes with the Philosopher's stone had not been easy, he remembered. In fact, the process had been long and slow because after months of seeing nothing but blackness, his body needed to become accustomed to the sudden change. When Doctor Marcoh used the stone, it disintegrated into small black dust particles and was carried away in the wind. To everyone's disbelief, he still was only able to see darkness and the doctor apologized profusely, thinking the transmutation failed.

He sat quietly on the couch, unmoving, when he and Riza returned to his home. He listened to the muffled sobs she tried to restrain as she made tea in the kitchen. Roy felt worse about not being able to restore his vision than he did when his eyesight was unjustly stolen from him in a human transmutation he didn't even want because there is nothing more heartbreaking than false hope.

Before he knew it, the only sobs he heard were his own.

Riza wrapped her arms around him and although he couldn't hear or see her weep, he felt her chest rising and falling erratically from a sobbing she didn't outwardly express. Roy wasn't one to show his emotions, but the suffocating billow of emotions welled up in chest was overbearing. He placed his desperate lips on hers, savoring the taste of the soft pink flesh, his hands running up along her sides, tracing her curves that he had memorized all those years ago, in a shoddy tent in Ishval. This night became the first of many. The barriers they had put up between them had been broken down again. Their nights had become ones of tangled limbs and panting hot breaths filled with pleasure and despair. They waited so long to do this again, to feel each other again. He had sex with other women, but with Riza it was a fleeing feeling. Sex with other women was arousing until a flash of white ended the charade, a dance he only enjoyed until the music ended. Riza made him feel complete and even after their lovemaking, he wanted more, he wanted her mind and heart, a dance without music.

His blindness made him appreciate the things he couldn't when he still could see.

Their strictly professional relationship had become one of inappropriate pleasure, and he relished the moments they shared. Because they would not last for much longer and they could not last for much longer. He didn't tell her his vision was slowly recovering, maybe if he lied, they could remain as lovers for a bit longer. But soon, lying became impossible and he could no longer pretend he was only able to see her as a blurred silhouette, when she was as clear as the first time he met her.

The seduction of their forbidden lovemaking was short-lived. As right as it was, it was unacceptable. As wrong as it was, it was captivating.

They had one last night of ecstasy, one last night to pretend they were everyday people, one last night to pretend they were lovers. His movements were slow and he memorized her body with his new restored vision, they had come a long way in their intimacy. She was no longer modest about being nude in front of him. She was no longer the anguished, shy girl she was when he took her virginity during the war. She was no longer the unreachable lieutenant she was after Hughes' death. She had become a woman who completely trusted herself with the man she loved and that thought alone could make him weep. Reality had a harsh way of reminding him that tomorrow they would return to a life they couldn't share. They promised that night to never cross the barriers they put between them again. It was unprofessional, it was career suicide. They couldn't do it again. They wouldn't do it again. Their goal was more important than the hunger they had for each other.

That promise was short-lived.

Nightmares tortured them both and soon they found their bodies could no longer deprive them of what their minds tried to. A flurry of desperate kisses and a dance only their bare bodies could dance followed suit. He found it ironic that they could only fend off the apparitions of Ishval by engaging in a satisfaction they didn't deserve. They were murderers, it was wrong. It was so…_wrong?_

Soon after they found themselves promising again, they couldn't risk everything for a moment of pleasure. Sleep deprivation had returned once their nights of consoling ended. Dark circles around their eyes didn't go unnoticed and although they knew they could take away each other's pain away, it wasn't sensible, they didn't deserve to.

Roy slammed the pen he was twisting between his fingers on the desk. He was frustratingly longing for her touch, he _needed_ her.

He was torn away from his thoughts when the shrill ringing of the phone echoed in the room. Were the Heaven's also against even the _thought_ of them being together?

He picked up the phone and sighed, "Major General Mustang speaking."

"Major General, you have a call from a private line. Would you like to accept this call?" The high-pitched voice of the secretary asked.

"Yes, put me through."

**-ii-**

Winry watched her fiance as he hung up the phone. "Is everything alright?" she asked, almost afraid of the response.

"Tomorrow I have to go to Ishval," he responded, trying to avoid eye contact. "I leave first thing in the morning." He hated to leave her again so soon, but he had no choice. He may not be able to use alchemy anymore, but he still could help decode the unfamiliar transmutation circle Roy told him about.

"I'm going with you," Winry replied firmly.

"Are you crazy?" Ed became flustered. "Do you know how dangerous it is out there?" it was a shout more than a question. He didn't regret exchanging his alchemy to get Al back but he hated not being able to protect his loved ones anymore.

"Ed, there's a lot of injured people there and I want to help them," she retorted, and he wasn't sure he could deny her from coming along. Winry was selfless, much like her parents, and if someone was in great need, she would do anything to help.

"You stubborn woman," Ed groaned and crossed his arms. "Fine," he pouted.

She triumphantly smiled and began packing her tools, reminding herself to call Garfiel before they left, perhaps he could help.

**-iii-**

Roy walking to the conference room, the other generals had already filled the entire room. To his surprise Lieutenant General Doyle of Eastern Command, Roy's direct superior, had begun the meeting without him. Doyle had arrived with the other soldiers who had been dispatched to Ishval. Being sent by Fuhrer Grumman, Doyle was commanded to give direct orders to Roy and the other Generals. They weren't pleased to say the least and Roy didn't appreciate Grumman sending Doyle to oversee his project. He knew how fond Grumman was of Doyle but he never expected him to let the Lieutenant General intervene in his command.

Once Doyle had ordered the other generals to return to their posts after the meeting, he let Roy explain the situation of the explosion and his findings. As expected, his comrades were as shocked as he was to find out the explosion was caused by none other than alchemy. Roy was taken aback when the Lieutenant General had praised Roy for helping his subordinates find victims of the explosion, he had expected the man to scold him for being irrational and leaving during the meeting.

"Major General Mustang, as you know the meeting with the other Lieutenant Generals and I had begun earlier than you and Major Miles had ordered. Foremost, I would like to apologize that your Captain, Riza Hawkeye had been severely injured in the explosion," he briefly became silent to let Roy thank him for his courtesy, "but we find that it is in your best interest that her position is filled with a replacement."

"Yes, sir, I already have Captain Havoc filling her position."

"No," Doyle began, "Captain Havoc would be much more useful being in charge of the officers that have been sent from my command. In fact, I would like to promote him to Major." Roy gaped and Doyle continued, "I believe he would do a fantastic job. As for my other soldiers, they can be commanded by your other high-ranking officers, they can fill in the place of those wounded by the blast."

Roy listened to the man, a bit annoyed that he was telling him how to do his job. As much as he wanted to tell the man to kindly 'fuck off,' he refrained, he didn't want to be reprimanded for insubordination.

"We reviewed several candidates and we found that _this_ soldier of Western Command is a suitable choice." Doyle handed Roy a folder containing information about the soldier. "Read her file, I believe you will be happy with our choice," the old Lieutenant General smiled.

**-iv-**

Roy walked back to his office after the meeting. He felt betrayed Grumman had sent Doyle, who as of the meeting earlier, would now make unexpected visits to administer Ishval Command. Did Grumman really think he was incapable of running his own Headquarters? He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He was displeased with Grumman's order, and he made sure to call the old man when he had a free moment, he was going to let the geezer have a piece of his mind.

When he walked through the large doors of his office he didn't expect to see a woman with long black hair and red eyes unpacking her things in Riza's desk.

* * *

><p><strong><span>AN:  
><strong>

**Just to make some things clear, no Riza will not get automail and she won't be temporarily crippled the entire story.**

**Special thanks to royailight who commented on the first and second chapter. And thanks to those anonymous reviewers, I wish you had an account so I could personally thank you!  
><strong>

**Reviews would be very much appreciated. Thank you :)**


	4. Bewildering Death and Uncertainty

**I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. Eh. Hopefully I pulled it off, ok. The story is a little slow, but I am anticipating it will be pretty long. There aren't too many chapter stories out, and personally I love chapter stories.**

**I do not own FMA**

* * *

><p>Scar sat in the conference room, along with Mustang, Miles, and Lieutenant General Doyle. His mind kept resurfacing the events that happened nights before. He had a witness in his grasp willing to profess everything he knew about the attack and in an instant the man had been murdered, <em>shot<em>, from a window nearby. Both he and the man had been in clear view through the window, but the bullet that punctured through the man's skull was meant to hit that man, _not_ him. It wasn't clear to him why he, who was seeking their demise, was left unharmed, but yet they eternally silenced their own lackey. Scar had bolted out of the house to scan for someone who had fired the shot, however, the desert was completely desolate. His heavy steps created a dull sound in the almost soundless atmosphere, as he trod toward an object in the distance he was sure he hadn't seen earlier. The object had been a body, a bludgeoned body, a terrified expression permanently fixed in place, it was the body of Priest Aatu. What had confused Scar more was there was no trace of anyone nearby, not a single creature roaming the dry and almost barren land.

"According to the autopsy report, rigor mortis had already commenced, meaning Priest Aatu had been dead for three hours after you found him." Miles stated, handing the file to Scar. "Seeing as you were there for a short while, there is no possible way Priest Aatu had shot the man you found."

Scar remained silent, pondering the situation, he knew he wasn't followed by anyone. The area the hideout had been in was completely isolated.

"Interestingly enough, the bullet that went through the witness' head was that of a sniper rifle. So, there was no way you were alone in the desert, Brother." Miles added, shuffling through the pages of the other autopsy conducted by Doctor Knox.

"There had to have been an area the culprit was hiding, enough to make such a clear shot." Mustang uttered, having some knowledge in sniper work, he did know Riza Hawkeye, after all.

Lieutenant General Doyle grunted as he looked at Scar. "I have been told that you have switched sides and decided to assist us in restoring Ishval, but I find it hard to believe that you were not aware you weren't alone in that desert." Doyle gritted his teeth, his eyebrow cocked up, "Tell me, _Brother_" he motioned quotations with his fingers at the mention of his name, "Why is it you told Major General Mustang to return to base and leave you to find the culprits on your own?"

"You do not need to trust me, but I know what I saw." Scar answered calmly, no culpability present in his voice. He wasn't someone that often spoke to those he was not close to.

"You may have the approval of General Armstrong, but I do not believe for one second that you should be easily dismissed." He scoffed, then turned his attention to Mustang, "Fuhrer Grumman has allowed me to extend my stay if I find anything problematic in your project, which I have. Until then, you all will answer to me. Dismissed." He chided, remaining in the conference room which was now his temporary office.

Scar smirked, the man was foolish to think he had such a demeaning association with the military. Although he was assisting in the restoration of Ishval, he was not a dog of the military. He had wondered how Major Miles could put up with such nonsense, or how Mustang was so spineless, mending to fit the commands his superiors had ordered of him.

If he wasn't worried about the safety of his people, Scar wouldn't have searched for those who had attacked the military base. But he would not allow his people to be unjustly murdered again and if he had to save Amestrians in the process, then he would.

As the men walked out of the office, Scar came to a sudden halt. From his peripheral vision he noticed Miles had as well. Out in the hall was a person he had never seen before, an Ishvalan woman dressed in a military uniform.

"This is Lieutenant Soma Zhen" Mustang informed the men, "She is filling in as my aide until Captain Hawkeye recovers from her injury."

The woman nervously saluted and introduced herself, her long black hair fell like a curtain over her shoulders, and if it weren't for her indistinguishable red eyes, Scar would have sworn she wasn't an Ishvalan.

"Ishvalan," Scar observed, "and what else?" he questioned, well aware of her pale complexion and black hair.

"My mother is Xingese, my father was Ishvalan." She replied, the men taking note that she spoke of her father in past tense. She continued to focus on him as if she expected him to continue to question her. Instead he remained quiet, and the woman seemed to shrink under his intense glare. Scar had taken note of how Mustang's new aide was much different than Hawkeye, she was much more timid.

Miles chuckled, "I see your mothers genes were very dominant. It's great to meet another fellow Ishvalan in the military."

"Thank you, Major." The woman smiled, she felt much more comfortable around Miles than Scar, though she found the quiet man intriguing.

**-i-**

"I'm excited we get to be roommates again!" Rebecca exclaimed joyfully. "I just wish I didn't have to lose all my stuff in that stupid explosion..." she trailed off.

Like Riza, Rebecca had also lived in the building that had been destroyed. Soldiers who were affected by the blast were moved into the building that had accommodated visiting personnel. The suite the women were assigned to was much larger than their previous arrangements and was more nicely furnished than Riza's former place. The decor and furniture was from a costly boutique in Central to suit the needs of high ranking military personnel who would often occupy the room. Riza thought it was a bit over the top, though, she was happy to stay in a place other than the infirmary.

"It really isn't necessary, Rebecca. I can take care of myself." the blonde declared, annoyed that Roy had ordered her friend to care for her. She was offended that he would make such an order, she was a strong woman and despite her accident she could take care of herself.

"Don't be such a killjoy, Riza. It'll be fun, just like the days in the academy."

Riza suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and continued to pet Hayate who was warmly nestled in her lap. She frowned when her hand stroked over the large healing gash on the canine's side. They were both lucky to be alive, but that fact alone didn't comfort her, instead she felt incompetent for not being able to protect Roy.

Catalina sighed when she noticed her friend's somber expression. "Just focus on getting better and you'll get back to protecting him in no time. Besides he has Lieutenant Zhen to protect him and she may not but you but I'm sure he'll be fine." Rebecca commented, as she prepared tea.

"Fine's not good enough." Riza huffed, accepting the hot beverage from her friend. If it had been Havoc she may had been a bit reassured about Roy's safety, but she never met Lieutenant Zhen and wasn't sure she was as capable as the Generals made her out to be.

"You worry too much." Rebecca remarked, taking a swig of tea. "So what do you think of Jean?" Rebecca inquired, trying to change the subject.

"Captain Havoc is a very proficient solider."

"That's not what I meant." the dark haired woman groaned. "Do you think he's good looking?"

"Surely, you're not asking because you're interested in Captain Havoc?" Riza smirked, she had been aware of the unique relationship between her friends, their bickering had somewhat reminded her of Winry and Ed. Much like the relationship between the former, Riza had a hunch that Rebecca and Havoc had also cared for each other in such a way.

"Do you think he would be interested? You know him better than I do, you two have been friends longer." Rebecca asked, hiding her flushed face behind her cup of tea.

"I'm sure he would. Perhaps, you should talk to him." Riza stated encouragingly. She was very fond of the two and believed they suited each other well despite their childish squabbles.

Rebecca nodded, feeling much more confident. "So how are you and Mustang?" she smirked. She enjoyed getting a rise out of her friend, especially when the subject involved her love life. In fact, one could even say taunting Riza Hawkeye about her love life was Rebecca's favorite pastime. "Is he good in bed?"

Riza's eyebrows furrowed, and she tightly shut her eyelids, well aware her friend was trying to provoke her. "Shouldn't you be at work in ten minutes?" She asked, not wanting to deal with Rebecca's antics.

"Shit!" she cried out, she bid farewell to Riza and left for the office.

Riza released a breath of relief once the woman left. As glad as she was to not deal with her friend's prying questions, the sudden silence reminded her of her uselessness. She sighed, if it weren't for Roy's pleading request that she stayed away from the office, then she would have been at work. His guilty expression, convinced her to comply to his request, and although she didn't blame him for her injury, she agreed to stay home as long as he would have work brought to her.

Roy had become increasingly protective of her. His temporary blindness had broken all previous barriers they put up between each other. She buried her head in her hands. How could she let herself give into temptation so easily and on several occasions? There was no doubt that she loved Roy, but she could hardly believe they put their goals on such a thin line for their desires. Life was cruel and despite their strong feelings for each other, they couldn't be together. She was disappointed in how unprofessional she had been. A future where everyone could be happy mattered more than their foolish yearning for each other. She would just have to keep the feeling of his rough fingers sliding up and down her bare flesh, his husky voice whispering in her ear, and the sweet taste of his lips engraved in her memory. It was the only bliss she entitled herself to have.

**-ii-**

Roy picked up the black telephone from where it rested in its cradle. He had more than enough of Lieutenant General Doyle's meddling, and to be frank, he deserved an explanation as to why Grumman had sent the man to oversee his project. After several moments, the Fuhrer's secretary had finally put Roy through to Grumman.

"Major General, how are things? How is Riza doing?" The older man asked from the other side of the line.

"She is still recovering, your excellency. Actually there is something I'd like to speak to you about"

"I'm glad to hear she's doing alright." The man chuckled. "These things you would like to speak about, would they have anything to do with Lieutenant General Doyle?"

"I would like to know why the man has been sent to my station. Frankly, I really do not need further assistance."

"I understand, Mustang, but you see, Lieutenant General Doyle is a very respected soldier. If he approves of your work in Ishval, he will be one of the few on board to promoting you up a notch. As Fuhrer, I don't want to abuse my power, boy, and I already have by promoting you up two notches from Colonel. It would look less like favoritism if you had high ranking soldiers in your favor. You do understand, don't you?"

Roy pinched the bridge of his nose, why couldn't Doyle do monthly check-ins instead of abusing his power and choosing how long he would stay? Though a promotion did sound like a reasonable reason to have the old general stay. He supposed he would just have to charm the man until he decided to return to Eastern Command. After the phone call, Roy rested his chin on his fist and looked over at his temporary Lieutenant. The woman had also been staring at him, wearing a scowl. Did she over hear his conversation and not approve?

"Is something wrong, Lieutenant?" He asked, the question rolling off his tongue made him feel nostalgic. The woman let the scowl on her face subside into one of indifference. But knowing Hawkeye his whole life, he learned he could interpret any woman.

"Nothing is wrong, Major General." She answered, though the response was spoken so quickly, the words sounded like one.

"If something is on your mind, please feel free to inform me, Lieutenant Zhen." He smiled, hoping he would ease her nervousness. Though she continued to remain timid, her body was stiff, and she seemed angry. He was determined to reach out to her. Unfortunately, he was stuck with the woman for the next couple of weeks and he'd be damned if he had someone watching his back that he didn't trust.

"Nothing is wrong." The woman muttered. She was surely exerting some odd behavior. She walked closer to him, eyebrows furrowing, and her hands tightly gripped at her sides.

"Because, if you need to take a lunch break or would like to express any concerns with me, I would be glad to hear them. I know I'm not a very well liked man, especially by the Ishvalans, but if there is anything I can do to help..." he trailed off, waiting for a response.

Soma's hands were shaking, and she stopped inching her way towards him. "Thank you." She responded, though her words were spoken in a harsh manner rather than one of sincerity.

A knock on the door followed her response, "Major General Mustang?" Breda called from the other side of thick doors of his office.

"Come in, Breda." Roy answered, still keeping his Soma in his vision, there was something odd about the woman, but he was positive she wasn't a lost cause, _yet_.

"Edward Elric is here to see you."

The former alchemist pushed past the portly red-head Lieutenant, "Hey, Major General shitface." He smirked. It had been sometime since the two had seen each other, and as much as he refused to admit, he was happy to see his former commanding officer.

"Ahh, Fullmetal," the raven-haired Lieutenant's eyes widened when she realized that the former alchemist just walked in the room. She had always heard it was this kid who saved Amestris, and it surprised her to see how young he was. But she was also appalled by his rude language. "I'm glad to finally see you, and here I was afraid to accidentally step on you when I heard you were visiting."

Ed snorted, repressing the urge to throw a tantrum, he wasn't a small kid anymore, in fact, he was the same height as Mustang. The shorts insults _shouldn't_ bother him anymore. "Yeah, yeah-" He snapped, interrupted by Winry clearing her throat loudly.

"It's nice to see you again Major General, Mustang." She smiled, walking past Breda who was stilling lingering by the door. Winry flinched when she saw a woman with raven-hair instead of the gun-wielding blonde.

Roy explained what had happened during the explosion, and the two were morose when they found out about Hawkeye's injury. The woman who still stood silently perplexed by Mustang and the golden haired man's exchange finally introduced herself. And Winry and Ed were both surprised to see someone who was of both Ishvalan and Xingese, it was a very uncommon mix.

"Alright, Lieutenant, I am going on my lunch. You may as well."

"Major General, I have been ordered to protect you. I will go with you." she declared, trying to conceal her frustration, but it was apparent to everyone in the room. She was nettled by his easygoing personality and how he didn't take his safety seriously.

"Yes, but right now, I am ordering you to take a lunch." Just as the woman was about to protest, Roy waved her off, "Thank you Lieutenant Zhen, you are dismissed." She was almost as pigheaded as Riza, but of course no one could compare to his Captain.

She grumbled as she walked passed everyone in the room. Winry cocked an eyebrow at the woman's behavior. She seemed to harbor some unexpressed anger that surely was blatant.

Roy looked walked over to his guests. "I was hoping we could go see the Captain." He smiled.

**-iii-**

The couple was impressed by the extravagant suite Riza was living in. A large chandelier hanging deftly over the center of the room, gold trinkets adorning several pieces of furniture, and the threaded wine-colored wallpaper tied the room together in lavish unity.

Roy glowered when he realized this suite had been the nicest place Riza has ever lived. It was a pity that such elegant accommodations was received through an unpleasant price.

Hawkeye exchanged greetings with Ed and Winry, she had been especially happy to see the pair. The woman adored the two and it had been some time since they had all seen each other.

Roy sat on the other end of the couch Riza sat on, Winry and Ed sitting on the settee parallel to them. He looked on enviously at Ed and Winry who sat side-by-side, their fingers intertwined. He considered the short distance between he and Riza, it felt as if they were miles apart and he about did all in his power to refrain from scooting closer.

"It's really wonderful to see you again, Riza." Winry expressed.

"I just wish it wasn't under such circumstances. But enough about that, when is the wedding?" The older blonde had been exceptionally excited about the wedding. Though her delight was only apparent to Roy. He had known of the slight parental role she had for the couple and he smiled when he remembered how enthusiastic she was when they received the invitation in the mail, he could only hope he could make her that happy one day.

"Maybe when this whole situation is sorted out." Ed responded grimly.

Winry observed the older pair as they exchanged pleasantries, she took note of their almost childish behavior. One of the reasons why she had admired Riza was because of her openness with her their first meeting. The day they met she explained to Winry she had someone to protect, and though she didn't say who, Winry knew she meant Roy Mustang. The confession helped her realize that she also had someone she needed to protect. Love had driven her to great lengths to protect Ed also, and though it was a different context, she still understood.

The atmosphere was odd. That was all Winry could come up with, sitting in a room with the older adults who had yet to work out their relationship. Their elongated stares and the occasional brush of the arm didn't go unnoticed. She didn't understand Riza kept such great emotional distance from the man she loved. There may have been rules in the military that forbade such action, but shouldn't love conquer the gap that kept them apart? She tightened her hand around Ed's, she was grateful she was with the love of her life, though her heart ached for the older woman. It would be awful if she couldn't wake up to Ed every morning, or steal kisses between words.

"What about you guys, when will you get married?" Ed joked, but he received no verbal response, only Winry pinching his thigh. _How could a genius be so dense?_

Riza's eyes widened and Roy averted his. The awkward tension in the room had grown, it was almost suffocating.

On account of Ed's stupidity, the young blonde spoke up, "We are planning on holding the reception in Rush Valley. I have a lot of clients who would like to attend the wedding, so we decided to hold it there. I hope you two will be able to make it."

Roy hated to admit it, but he actually was jealous. He had been in love with Riza for as long as he could remember but he could never freely show it. He was known as a womanizer, a playboy, a libertine and although it was true he had been with several women, he could hardly call himself any of those things. Those women were just replacements for the person he loved or informants. The reputation he had wasn't who he really was. In fact, no one but Riza knew who or how he really was, no one alive, at least. Any meetings outside of work with the only woman he truly loved could cost both of them their careers. Instead their _relationship_ had to be clandestine. He wasn't aware of the conversation the blondes were having, instead he continued to study the young couple. Here was Edward Elric, who he still considered a kid, ready to wed the woman he loved. They didn't have to keep their feelings secret, in fact, if he wanted he could tell the whole country and he would still live to see another happy day. He and Riza didn't have that freedom.

His break had ended shortly. Winry stayed behind with Riza, to Roy's delight, who had purposely forgot to bring her work.

The office had mostly been awkwardly silent. Both men sat alone in his private office, Roy searched for his little black book with the array he traced and Ed fiddled with his fingers.

"Uh, Sorry about earlier. I, uh, didn't-" Ed muttered.

"It's fine."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

"I just thought you two were..."

"It's fine, Ed."

"If you care about her maybe you should, uh..." He scratched his head, trying to come up with something to say.

"_Ed._"

"You shouldn't let stupid rules keep you apart."

"Drop it."

Ed huffed, he couldn't stand how stubborn the man could be. He could also never understand how Hawkeye and Mustang could put their careers before their own happiness. Their devotion to the military was almost as sickening as it was admiring. He felt somewhat guilty being able to get happily married, while two people who definitely deserved happiness were not entitled to it.

It was a cruel world, indeed.

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><p><strong><em>Also, you may think you know who the culprit is, but you really have no idea. <em>**

**_Reviews would be really, really appreciated! Thank you again to those who commented on the last chapter!_**


	5. Moth To A Flame

**This chapter contains some cursing and sexual content (not too extreme). So if you're not into that, you might want to skip some parts in this.**

**I rather really like this chapter. I hope you enjoy it too!  
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**Just a fair warning, you _may not_ like me for something that happens in chapter.  
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**Thank you Cerisabeth, Kate, and Skyethestarlitangel for commenting on the last chapter! I appreciate it immensely!  
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><p>The dim lamp stood glowing in the corner of the large room, the yellow light illuminating in the dark space like a halo. Ed sat at a writing table, skimming through worn textbooks that had long collected dust. Carefully turning the tattered pages of a tome, he studied alchemical symbols from different nations. The act was routine and redundant.<p>

The transmutation circle Mustang had shown him earlier in the day had many familiar symbols, though, he couldn't name half of them. Having traveled to several nations bordering Amestris, he had grown accustomed to studying foreign symbols. But truth be told, the alchemy genius was stumped. All that was known was whoever was the owner of the array, they were highly skilled in foreign alchemy.

He heard a quiet exhale from across the dark room, and the rustling of sheets where Winry was stirring in her sleep. She found it a lot easier to sleep in the guest bedroom of Mustang's house than he did.

Ed didn't expect to stay at his former superiors residence, and truthfully the experience was a bit uncomfortable. It wasn't like staying at the Hughes' or even Ling's palace. Mustang's house was eerie and unwelcoming. While, it was fairly large and had fine architectural design, it was dark, dusty and didn't feel like a home. He also couldn't help but notice the lack of furniture in the house, several rooms were still empty, as if no one lived there. He supposed it was normal since Mustang lived alone, but he couldn't imagine living alone in such a large house.

He flinched when he heard a faint cry echoing in the empty corridor. The sounds were coming from Roy's lone room on the opposite side of the house. Ed scowled, he should have known Mustang was the kind of guy sleazy enough to fuck someone when he had company staying at his house. As much as he tried to ignore the the sounds, the whimpers and bellows only grew louder.

No.

He heard those noises before, it was the noise his mom made after Hohenheim left. He was having a nightmare. The realization shocked him, he never imagined Roy Mustang could sound so _weak_.

Winry raised her weary head from her place on the bed and rubbed her tired eyes, "What are you still doing up?" her voice was hoarse from being awoken. Ed hoped Mustang's bellowing would stop, not even he wanted anyone to know about this side of the man. Actually it was more than he even cared to know.

"I was just finishing up some research." He responded, trying to conceal his smirk when he noticed her disheveled hair. She always looked cute, truly a sight to behold. The former alchemist climbed into bed with his soon-to-be wife, pulling her close to him.

"It must be lonely live here." she uttered sadly.

"It must be." he responded, burying his face in her neck and breathing her in. "Winry, why are we getting married in Rush Valley?"

"I have a lot of clients who—"

"Bullshit. A lot of them could make the trip to Resembool."

She sighed, Edward knew her too well. "You just have so many bad memories there, I just thought you might like a change..."

Ed chuckled, more than anyone should laugh at such a response. His laughter only made the blonde woman become increasingly irritated.

"I don't see why that's so funny." She growled pulling away from him.

He sat up from the bed, admiring the faint glow from the moon peeking through the curtains. "I had a lot of bad memories, but also a lot of good ones. My mother, Al, _you_..." He kissed the tip of each of her fingers, a memory accompanying each kiss. "Besides your parents and my mother are there."

"Hohenheim too." She smiled.

"Yeah, right." he snorted. As much as he wouldn't admit it, he missed his old man too. "That's something Rush Valley doesn't have."

They heard the click of a door and the creaking of steps faintly reverberate.

"Maybe we should go to bed." Winry suggested, listening to the faint sounds of Mustang rummaging on the first floor. The two laid in silence, sorting through a sea of thoughts.

"Do you think he and Riza..."

"Ew. I don't want to know about that. That's a side of Mustang I never want imagine." Ed shuddered.

"That's not what I meant!" she shouted louder than she meant to. "Pervert!"

"Okay, what?"

"I mean do you think they will ever stop being so stupid and be together?"

The former alchemist groaned. "Probably not. They're married to Amestris. They wouldn't dare put their happiness before their goals."

Winry frowned. "Hopefully they come to their senses. They both deserve to be happy."

"Yep." Ed puckered his lips, "And so do you," he trailed kisses over Winry's bare shoulder. "Let's have our wedding in Resembool."

_**-i-**_

Soma poured scalding dark liquid into a ceramic mug. She wasn't sure how her general liked his coffee, but she didn't care. She was a soldier, not a servant. The dark-haired woman clumsily set the mug on his desk, the contents spilled over the walls of the ceramic.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." he murmured, not looking up from a file he was reading. He searched through several files for anything suspicious, he still had yet to hear anything else about the terrorists.

He tucked his face in his hands, he was so damn tired. The dark circles around his eyes were especially prominent today. He hardly slept the night before, his nightmares keeping him from sleep. "_Fuck_!" He shrieked, and slammed the mug on his desk. "Lieutenant, I nearly burned off my tongue!"

"I'm sorry, Major General." she responded, without a hint of remorse.

Roy groaned, he was growing impatient. "Just don't let it happen again."

She left his private office and returned to her desk, the other soldiers were engaged in a non-work related conversation. She hardly ever had interaction with her comrades. They often invited her out to bars or their poker nights, but she always politely declined. She had no intention on becoming friends with anyone.

"Maybe we can have poker night at your place, so Hawkeye can join in." Havoc suggested.

"Riza never wants to play poker though."

"Doesn't mean she has to play, we can just gather there." Fuery remarked.

"Yeah, she's probably bored out of her mind being stuck at home all day."

Soma stared at the other soldiers in the room, her foot tapping the ground. She had came up with her own interpretations about each individual. Jean Havoc was friendly, but he was a slacker and often pawned off his work to Fuery. Heymans Breda was intelligent, but he slacked off almost as much as Havoc did. Kain Fuery was timid and seemed to admire his fellow soldiers, he reminded her of a child, but she found him more tolerable than the other men. Rebecca Catalina, the only other woman in the room besides herself, she found the woman to be obnoxious and incompetent, giving a bad name to female soldiers.

And then there was Roy Mustang. Since she arrived he had been nothing but pleasant towards her, even when she made several errors, like the ones that were on purpose, such as the coffee incident. Unlike her past superior officers, he was kind and helpful. But he was the Flame Alchemist, the _Hero_ of Ishval, she hated him. She had to hate him.

Soma re-entered Roy's office, paperwork in hand. She found her superior officer searching through files, still intently trying to find clues.

She dropped a stack of paperwork on his desk, the files on his desk were now strewn across the floor. "Dammit! Lieutenant Zhen, if you have an issue with me then tell me, instead of doing petty things to try to piss me off." He shouted. His patience had finally diminished.

The woman stepped beside him, "You killed my people..." she vehemently hissed, gripping the lapel of his uniform. Her tone was violent, yet entwined with sorrow.

His eyes widened and he hung his head, averting his inky black eyes to his feet, as if was a child being scolded. He hadn't expected this. The ghosts of his past had materialized outside of his nightmares to torment him once again. Another encounter with a person's life he ruined. Despite his own guilt and awareness of his past, he couldn't say the appropriate thing to justify his past. The words formed on his tongue but couldn't escape past his lips.

"But I…" Her face scrunched, red eyes glossy from tears, "but I can't hate you." She added, sheer sadness choking from her dry throat. "No matter how hard I try I can't hate you."

He looked at her with questioning eyes, taken aback by her confession. Here he was, a man who had destroyed the lives of countless people with the single snap of his fingers. Those left alive lived in agony as the ones they cherished had been unfairly murdered by the hands of state alchemists and even his own.

Despite all of this, she did not hate him instead, she admired him. Perhaps it was because he terribly regretted his actions and pathetically suffered from them. Or maybe it could have been because he strived to atone for his past.

"I was 17 when my mother and I came to Amestris to find my father," she started, "he came to visit my grandmother...she was very sick. We overheard about the war breaking out in Ishvala." The tears she once held were now rolling down her porcelain white cheeks, "We...we tried to warn father but by the time we came it was too late. My fath...my father was shot, _sniped_."

Roy frowned. He couldn't form any proper words to articulate. She had every reason to hate him.

"I joined the military to find out who killed my father. To find out who was in the Bashi district the day he was murdered. I...I think I might know who, but I'm can't be too sure yet."

"What will you do if you find who murdered him?"

"Avenge him."

_In a poorly lit tunnel under Central, Roy had finally cornered the murderer of Maes Hughes. With the snap of his fingers, the flames engulfed Envy, the monster who killed his best friend. He kept the once blabbering homunculous from gloating to screaming in agony as the inferno burned the flesh off his body. Soon enough Envy was reduced to a ash, then to a tiny atrocious monster, no longer a threat. He finally had his chance to avenge his best friend. _

_He felt the barrel of a gun pressed against his skull, still hot from firing bullets. He didn't care that the only person he truly had left was pleading in a tone so foreign to him. If she stood in his way from killing the murderer of his best friend, she was his enemy too._

_He was hardly convinced when he was scolded by Ed, and somewhat ashamed that he was berated by Scar. But it wasn't until his Lieutenant, threatened to take her own life did he come back to his senses. _

_How could he be so stupid? He hurt her again. _

_He couldn't lose her.  
><em>

"Avenging him won't bring him back. He's gone for good."

"What do you know?" the woman cried out, tightening her grasp of his uniform.

"I've been there before. I know how it feels." he frowned.

She sobbed, "I can't let his murderer roam free, not when he can't anymore."

"You can't let vengeance consume you, because in the end it will only bring madness. Your father wouldn't want that." He wasn't sure if he was talking about her father or about Hughes, but the words spoken were truthful.

Although her confession had surprised him, he was more surprised when she pressed her body close to his. Her hot breath tickled his neck, making his skin rise.

She heard so many stories about Mustang and his reputation with women, yet she was surprised to see he was as nervous as a teenage boy. The grip of his uniform in her fists loosened, and her hands trailed over his chest. She bit back a smirk, to see the supposed "womanizer" become increasingly nervous by her touch, the sight pleased her. Her hot mouth covered his, and she was delighted when he returned the kiss. Formalities aside, he was still a man, and men had desires. If he wanted to have sex with her in his office she would comply, they were alone, no one had to know.

Her hands ran up and down his body, exploring the unfamiliar territory, until she became aware of his budding excitement. She stroked him through the fabric of his pants and pulled him closer. He picked her up onto his desk, his kisses came down harder. Mewls of pleasure escaped her throat.

As she shrugged out of her uniform coat, her arm lashed besides her knocking picture frames off his desk. The crash on the ground made him jump away and he stared intensely at the frames on the ground. One photo had been of him and his subordinates, another of him and a man jovially smiling with an arm draped across his shoulder, and the last was of him and his blonde aide at an award ceremony. His gaze was fixed longer on the last photo.

Soma had always heard about the devotion the woman had for him, but at that moment she realized he had the same for her.

"Do you love her?" She asked, the man quickly looked away from the photo, his gaze returning to her immediately.

"What?" The question caught him off guard.

"Do you love her?" She asked again, amused to see the man so nervous by the candid question.

"It's not…" he paused, trying to come up with something to say, "She's my subordinate. That is all."

She wasn't easily fooled. He turned his back to her as he straightened his uniform.

Picking up the frames from the ground she stared at the woman in the photos and looked up back at him. "Does she know?" She queried to his back, which was still turned towards her.

"Yes." He stated simply. His once tense posture had relaxed, as if the confession had been freeing.

Just a few moments ago she had been snaking her hands into his trousers and in a matter of seconds he had become further than any other man she had ever met. Her hunger for his touch intensified, but she refrained from running her hands over him again.

He was already in love with someone else.

As if he read her mind, he turned to her, "I'm sorry. That was completely unprofessional of me. If you would like to request a transfer, I understand. But I believe you're a very capable soldier and you are fit for my division." He commented.

"I apologize, Major General. I was the one who initiated… It won't happen again." She saluted, her face still flushed, "Thank you, however, I will decline the offer to transfer."

"As for everything that happened here—" he began, but she interrupted him.

She nervously played with a sleeve of her uniform. "It will never be spoken of, Major General." She muttered and walked out of the office. Tears welled up in her eyes, she felt _so_ stupid.

Roy picked up the frame housing the photo that shrugged him out of his stupor, he felt incredibly guilty.

_**-ii-**_

The phone rang_**, **_everyone in the office had expected the fill-in aide or Mustang to answer, but the shrill sound continued to reverberate in the room.

Havoc sighed, "Goddammit. This isn't supposed to be my job." He picked up the receiver and pressed it against his ear. "Major Havoc speaking."

_"Hello Major, This is Lieutenant Ortrov, the Fuhrers direct aide. Is the Major General available?"_

"He is currently at lunch."

The man sighed. _"This is urgent, Major. There has been an attack on Central. The section of the East Wing of headquarters was completely blown to smithereens. Several civilians have also been bombarded by the terrorists. The Fuhrer needs Major General Mustang and his team to report to Central immediately!"_

Havoc gaped. "I'll let him know right away!"

"What was that about?" Breda asked once Havoc slammed the phone down.

"Central was attacked."_**  
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_**-iii-**_

He supposed he could use the spare key to let himself in or maybe he should knock for fair warning. He wasn't sure why he was at her door in the first place, Riza had known about the women he'd take home. The love bites barely concealed by his high collar were visible to her keen eyes. She never allowed her gaze to remain on the blemishes for long, but she knew they were there. However, that was after the war, when they would pretend they never spent most of their nights in each others arms, vulnerable and broken. Sex in Ishval was different, pathetic pity fucks could elude the guilt, even for a moment. But it wasn't until he was blind that he actually made love to Riza Hawkeye. He needed her, he would always need her. Now she was in a state where she needed him.

No other woman could replace the one who had permanently taken his heart and had always been at his side. He was sure of that. It was different now they were —_whatever they were_. They weren't together it shouldn't matter, yet, touching another woman made him feel wrong. It made him realize that he should never have to live without her being so close to him.  
>His. . . encounter with Lieutenant Zhen had made him realize he couldn't live the way he once did. He was no longer that kind of man anymore. He didn't need to shut off the lights, or find another woman to take Riza's place. Once the barriers had been broken down, they could never be the same again. He was foolish for thinking he could live without being so close to her again.<p>

Just as he was about to turn around, he heard Hayate barking on the other side of the door. There was no use in turning back now.

"General." she called out from her place on the settee, surprised to see him.

"Sorry, I don't mean to impose." He shut the door behind him and invaded the living room.

"You're not imposing." She smiled sweetly.

He sat beside her, his gaze settling on the stack of completed documents neatly sorted on the table. His Captain was so dependable. It was something he admired about her greatly. Cautious of her injury, he impulsively wrapped his arms around her, and she was a bit dumbfounded by the arbitrary embrace.

"Is something wrong?" she queried, still confused by the sudden action.

Appropriate words couldn't stream from his brain, instead he continued to hold her, tongue-tied. He pulled away, his dark eyes met her honey colored eyes. He had seen many pretty women, but Riza was beautiful. No matter how many times he'd see her, she always took his breath away.

Her pink lips looked _so_ inviting.

Roy leaned over and cupped her face with his hands. He pressed himself against her side, forcefully seizing her lips. The kiss was hardly romantic, his teeth clanked against hers, the feeling made him cringe. He was as nervous as he was the first time he kissed her, a young adult with the huge world still ahead of him.

One hand slid into her hair, tangling his fingers into her silky tresses. His soft kisses trickled down her neck, her eyes shutting tightly at the sinful pleasure. She had to pull away, they had an agreement, _never again_, she thought, as he nibbled her ear.

With one strong arm around her tiny waist, he pulled himself closer. "So...beautiful" he gravelly whispered, in between bites and kisses.

_Never again_, the words repeated in her mind. But she couldn't pull away, she didn't want to. Her good sense of judgement was betraying her quickly, like a moth to a flame, her body was letting it's sense of need take over. Her fingers twisted in his velvety black hair, one of the many features she loved about him. She missed being this close to him, his scent had always brought her back to her childhood, a time when she wasn't devoted to being a soldier.

His muscular tongue slipped past her soft lips, exploring the terrain he had long ago committed to his memory. Only moments ago his tongue was in another woman's mouth and yet that act had brought him back to the only woman he could ever love. A free hand diligently unbuttoned her shirt, exposing her soft pale breasts. Her bare chest heaved up and down, it was driving him mad. He needed more of her.

_Never Again._

They never had to say how they felt about each other, their love and devotion was apparent in their actions. He untangled his fists from her hair, walking his fingers in between her thighs.

This was _too_ much. She tore away from his sinfully delicious lips. "Roy." She stated firmly. Her hardened professional expression had returned.

Lustfully glazed dark eyes stared at the blonde in disappointment. Just earlier he almost slept with his fill-in Lieutenant, a woman who had every reason to hate him and despite that he almost had her. He could have anyone, it wasn't a game of cat and mouse, because the feline always got it's prey.

Riza was the only woman he had ever truly loved and yet the only woman he could never have. For once in his life he missed his pitiable vulnerability, his lack of vision, a time when he was able to have his woman.

They sat quietly beside one another, listening to the rhythm of each other's breathing. It was the most comforting sound in the world, the faint lullaby could put him to sleep.

"We can't." she spoke softly, sullenly looking at her hindering legs. Her injury wasn't the problem, it was that nettlesome agreement they had.

"I know."

"Then why are we..."

He exhaled a long breath he had been holding in.

"_Never_ Again." she murmured the words that had been replaying in her mind.

"Never Again." he repeated. He didn't mean it.

* * *

><p><strong>Please take the time to review, if you're not busy :)<strong>

**Curious question to all, do you guys like the length of these chapters or should I cut them down? It seems most people who read this have to visit again and I'm assuming its because the chapters are long.  
><strong>


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